where he simply steps aside
where he finishes his phone call
where he does not have a gun
where she gets home
where he chose to call in sick
where he didn’t take the job
where he does not have a gun
where she gets home
where he became a Buddhist
or a Quaker, or a full-time junkie
where he simply stepped aside
where she gets home
where he lived on the streets
seeing visions of Jesus
where he does not have a gun
where she gets home
where he disappeared in his twenties
and the world moved on
where he simply stepped aside
where she gets home
where he doesn’t wear the uniform
and we never talk about him
where he does not have a gun
where she gets home
where he’s a blank empty page
in a book nobody opens
where he simply stepped aside
where she gets home
where she gets home
where she gets home
where he does not have a gun
where she gets safely home
© Steve Pottinger 9 Jan 2026